Flexible display electronic device

ABSTRACT

A portable electronic device is provided. The portable electronic device includes a first housing including a first surface and a second surface a second housing including a third surface and a fourth surface, and a hinge. The hinge includes a hinge shaft, a sliding device including a portion configured to slide to an inside or an outside of the second housing to be introduced, or slide from the inside or the outside of the second housing in a specific direction to be extracted in correspondence to a hinge operation of the second housing, and a multi-bar disposed between the first surface and the fourth surface and including multi-bar units to be spread or bent in correspondence to a hinge operation of the second housing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) of a Koreanpatent application filed on Sep. 13, 2016 in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office and assigned Serial number 10-2016-0117854, the entiredisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a flexible display device.

BACKGROUND

An electronic device may include a display in relation to the output ofa screen. The electronic device may further include a housingsurrounding the display.

That is, according to the related art, since the electronic deviceincludes a housing in correspondence to the size of the display, thesize of the housing increases as the display becomes larger. Thus, alarge screen may be realized when the display is large, but there is alimit to expanding the display as the increase in screen size alsoresults in a reduction in portability.

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determinationhas been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure are to address at least theabove-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at leastthe advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the presentdisclosure is to provide a flexible display electronic device that maymaximize expansion of a display area by employing a flexible displaythat is foldable.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a flexibledisplay electronic device that may improve the durability of theelectronic device by employing a structure that lowers fatigue in afolding section of a display.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a portableelectronic device is provided. The portable electronic device mayinclude a first housing including a first surface and a second surfaceopposite to the first surface, a second housing including a thirdsurface and a fourth surface opposite to the third surface, a hingeincluding a fifth surface and a sixth surface, the hinge connecting thefirst housing and the second housing, a flexible display disposed on thefirst surface, the fifth surface, and the third surface and at least oneprocessor electrically connected to the flexible display and located inat least one of the first housing or the second housing. The hinge isconfigured to deflect around a hinge shaft extending in a firstdirection. The hinge shaft extends along a border between the firsthousing and the second housing when viewed from a top of the firstsurface. At least a part of the first surface and at least a part of thethird surface are disposed in the same direction before the hinge isbent. At least a part of the second surface and at least a part of thefourth surface face each other when the hinge is bent at a specificangle, and the hinge includes a plurality of columns extending in thefirst direction and disposed on the fifth surface together.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a portableelectronic device is provided. The portable electronic device includes afirst housing including a first surface and a second surface that isopposite to the first surface, a second housing including a thirdsurface and a fourth surface that is opposite to the third surface and ahinge connecting the first housing and the second housing and providedsuch that the fourth surface is rotated in a direction that faces thefirst surface. The hinge includes a hinge shaft disposed at a peripheryof one side of the first housing, a sliding device including a portionthat is configured to slide to an inside or an outside of the secondhousing to be introduced, or slide from the inside or the outside of thesecond housing in a specific direction to be extracted in correspondenceto a hinge operation of the second housing and a multi-bar disposedbetween the first surface and the fourth surface and including aplurality of multi-bar units to be spread or bent in correspondence to ahinge operation of the second housing.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses various embodiments of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an example of an appearance of anelectronic device at various angles according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating an example of external appearances offront and rear surfaces of an electronic device according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a view schematically illustrating a first housing and adisplay of an electronic device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating an example of a second housing accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating an example of a hinge unit according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is an example of an exploded perspective view of a hinge unitaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating an example of front and rear surfaces of amulti-bar according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating an example of a partial area of amulti-bar according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a coupled state of a multi-bar and a hingebracket according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating an example of a portion of a side surfaceof an electronic device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating an example of a coupled state of anelectronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12A is a view exemplifying a coupling sequence of an electronicdevice according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12B is a view illustrating an example of a state of an internalstructure during a hinge operation of an electronic device according toan embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a view illustrating various examples of a hold state of anelectronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a view illustrating an example of a state of a hinge unit inan unfolded state of an electronic device according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a view illustrating an example of a state of a hinge unit ina bent state of an electronic device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 16 is a view illustrating an example of a state of a hinge unit ina folded state of an electronic device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 17 is a view illustrating an example of an inside of a hinge unitin a folded state of an electronic device according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure; and

FIG. 18 is a view illustrating an example of various forms of anelectronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbersare used to depict the same or similar elements, features, andstructures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings isprovided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of variousembodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and theirequivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in thatunderstanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatvarious changes and modifications of the various embodiments describedherein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of thepresent disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functionsand constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by theinventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in theart that the following description of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for thepurpose of limiting the present disclosure as defined by the appendedclaims and their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes referenceto one or more of such surfaces.

In the disclosure disclosed herein, the expressions “have”, “may have”,“include” and “comprise”, or “may include” and “may comprise” usedherein indicate existence of corresponding features (e.g., elements suchas numeric values, functions, operations, or components) but do notexclude presence of additional features.

In the disclosure disclosed herein, the expressions “A or B”, “at leastone of A or/and B”, or “one or more of A or/and B”, and the like usedherein may include any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items. For example, the term “A or B”, “at least oneof A and B”, or “at least one of A or B” may refer to all of the case(1) where at least one A is included, the case (2) where at least one Bis included, or the case (3) where both of at least one A and at leastone B are included.

The terms, such as “first”, “second”, and the like used herein may referto various elements of various embodiments, but do not limit theelements. Furthermore, such terms may be used to distinguish one elementfrom another element. For example, “a first user device” and “a seconduser device” may indicate different user devices regardless of the orderor priority thereof. For example, “a first user device” and “a seconduser device” indicate different user devices.

It will be understood that when an element (e.g., a first element) isreferred to as being “(operatively or communicatively) coupled with/to”or “connected to” another element (e.g., a second element), it may bedirectly coupled with/to or connected to the other element or anintervening element (e.g., a third element) may be present. In contrast,when an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as being“directly coupled with/to” or “directly connected to” another element(e.g., a second element), it should be understood that there is nointervening element (e.g., a third element).

According to the situation, the expression “configured to” used hereinmay be used as, for example, the expression “suitable for”, “having thecapacity to”, “designed to”, “adapted to”, “made to”, or “capable of”.The term “configured to” must not mean only “specifically designed to”in hardware. Instead, the expression “a device configured to” may meanthat the device is “capable of” operating together with another deviceor other components. central processing unit (CPU), for example, a“processor configured to perform A, B, and C” may mean a dedicatedprocessor (e.g., an embedded processor) for performing a correspondingoperation or a generic-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU or an applicationprocessor) which may perform corresponding operations by executing oneor more software programs which are stored in a memory device.

Terms used in the present disclosure are used to describe specifiedembodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the presentdisclosure. The terms of a singular form may include plural forms unlessotherwise specified. Unless otherwise defined herein, all the terms usedherein, which include technical or scientific terms, may have the samemeaning that is generally understood by a person skilled in the art. Itwill be further understood that terms, which are defined in a dictionaryand commonly used, should also be interpreted as is customary in therelevant related art and not in an idealized or overly formal detectunless expressly so defined herein in various embodiments of the presentdisclosure. In some cases, even if terms are terms which are defined inthe specification, they may not be interpreted to exclude embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

An electronic device according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure may include at least one of smartphones, tablet personalcomputers (PCs), mobile phones, video telephones, e-book readers,desktop PCs, laptop PCs, netbook computers, workstations, servers,personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable multimedia players (PMPs),motion picture experts group (MPEG-1 or MPEG-2) audio layer 3 (MP3)players, mobile medical devices, cameras, wearable devices (e.g.,head-mounted-devices (HMDs), such as electronic glasses), an electronicapparel, electronic bracelets, electronic necklaces, electronicappcessories, electronic tattoos, smart watches, and the like.

According to another embodiment, the electronic devices may be homeappliances. The home appliances may include at least one of, forexample, televisions (TVs), digital versatile disc (DVD) players,audios, refrigerators, air conditioners, cleaners, ovens, microwaveovens, washing machines, air cleaners, set-top boxes, home automationcontrol panels, security control panels, TV boxes (e.g., SamsungHomeSync™, Apple TV™, or Google TV™), game consoles (e.g., Xbox™ or PlayStation™), electronic dictionaries, electronic keys, camcorders,electronic picture frames, or the like.

According to another embodiment, the photographing apparatus may includeat least one of medical devices (e.g., various portable medicalmeasurement devices (e.g., a blood glucose monitoring device, aheartbeat measuring device, a blood pressure measuring device, a bodytemperature measuring device, and the like)), a magnetic resonanceangiography (MRA), a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a computedtomography (CT), scanners, and ultrasonic devices), navigation devices,global positioning system (GPS) receivers, event data recorders (EDRs),flight data recorders (FDRs), vehicle infotainment devices, electronicequipment for vessels (e.g., navigation systems and gyrocompasses),avionics, security devices, head units for vehicles, industrial or homerobots, automatic teller's machines (ATMs), points of sales (POSs), orinternet of things (e.g., light bulbs, various sensors, electric or gasmeters, sprinkler devices, fire alarms, thermostats, street lamps,toasters, exercise equipment, hot water tanks, heaters, boilers, and thelike).

According to another embodiment, the electronic devices may include atleast one of parts of furniture or buildings/structures, electronicboards, electronic signature receiving devices, projectors, or variousmeasuring instruments (e.g., water meters, electricity meters, gasmeters, or wave meters, and the like). In the various embodiments, theelectronic device may be one of the above-described various devices or acombination thereof. An electronic device according to an embodiment maybe a flexible device. Furthermore, an electronic device according to anembodiment may not be limited to the above-described electronic devicesand may include other electronic devices and new electronic devicesaccording to the development of technologies.

Hereinafter, an electronic device according to the various embodimentsmay be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The term“user” used herein may refer to a person who uses an electronic deviceor may refer to a device (e.g., an artificial intelligence electronicdevice) that uses an electronic device.

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an example of an appearance of anelectronic device at various angles according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating an example of external appearances offront and rear surfaces of an electronic device according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the electronic device 100 may schematicallyinclude a display 130 (e.g., a flexible display), a housing 110, and ahinge unit 120 (e.g., a hinge or a hinge part).

The display 130 may include a flexible display, at least a portion ofwhich is deflected (bent). In this regard, the display 130 may includeat least one pixel that may be deflected and signal lines. The display130 may include a first display area 131, a second display area 132, anda hinge display area 133. The first display area 131, the hinge displayarea 133, and the second display area 132 may be connected to each otherto form one entity. For example, one side of the first display area 131may be connected to one side of the hinge display area 133, and anopposite side of the hinge display area 133 may be connected to one sideof the second display area 132.

The first display area 131 may be disposed on a front surface of thedisplay 130 or the second display area 132 may be disposed on a frontsurface of the display 130 according to a direction in which the display130 is positioned. For example, when the electronic device 100 is in afirst state (e.g., the display 130 is folded to be observed from theoutside), the first display area 131 and the second display area 132 maybe disposed in directions that is opposite to each other. In the firststate, the hinge display area 133 may be observed from a side directionwhile being disposed between the first display area 131 and the seconddisplay area 132. While the display 130 is in a second state (e.g., astate in which the housing 110 is unfolded), the first display area 131,the hinge display area 133, and the second display area 132 may face thesame direction with respect to the horizontal direction. According tovarious embodiments, when the electronic device 100 is in a third state(e.g., a state in which the housing 110 is bent at a specific angle),the first display area 131 and the second display area 132 may facedirections of different angles with respect to the horizontal direction.The size of the first display area 131 and the size of the seconddisplay area 132 may be the same or different. Although the drawingillustrates a form in which the size of the first display area 131disposed in the first direction is smaller than the size of the seconddisplay area 132 disposed in the second direction (e.g., a directionthat is opposite to the first direction) in the first state, the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the first display area131 and the second display area 132 may have the same size.

The housing 110 may surround a periphery of the display 130 such that atleast a partial area of the display 130 may be observed from theoutside. Various device elements (e.g., a driving circuit related to thedisplay 130, an application processor, a printed circuit board, and abattery) related to driving of the display 130 may be embedded insidethe housing 110. Various elements related to a user function may bedisposed on at least one side of the housing 110. The housing 110 mayinclude a first housing 101 and a second housing 111 in correspondenceto an area in which the display 130 is disposed. According to variousembodiments, various device elements (e.g., a driving circuit related todriving of the display 130, an application processor, a printed circuitboard, and a battery) related to driving of the display 130 may bedisposed in at least one of the first housing 101 and the second housing111.

The first housing 101 may include a first surface and a second surfacethat is opposite to the first surface, and may include three sidesurfaces disposed between the first surface and the second surface. Oneside surface of the hinge unit 120 may be disposed on one surfacebetween the first surface and the second surface. A first display areaof the display 130 for example, may be disposed on the first surface.The second housing 111 may include a third surface and a fourth surfacethat is opposite to the third surface, and may include three sidesurfaces disposed between the third surface and the fourth surface. Anopposite side surface of the hinge unit 120 may be disposed on onesurface between the third surface and the fourth surface. According tothe state of the electronic device 100, the surfaces may have variousdisposition states. For example, in an unfolded state of the electronicdevice 100, the first surface and the third surface or the secondsurface and the fourth surface may be disposed in the same direction. Ina folded state of the electronic device 100, the first surface and thethird surface are opposite to each other and the second surface and thefourth surface may face each other. The above-described electronicdevice 100 may be folded in an acute angle direction in which the secondsurface and the fourth surface face each other, and may be rotated to aparallel state (e.g., 180 degrees).

The first display area 131 of the display 130 may be disposed over anoverall central portion of the housing 101. For example, a camera 103, areceiver 104, a sensor 105, and a home button 106 may be disposed in anarea (e.g., a front area of an upper end or a front area of a lower endof the first display area 131) other than the first display area 131 ofthe first housing 101. A connector 107 may be disposed in one sidesurface area (e.g., an upper end side surface area or a lower end sidesurface area) of the first housing 101. Further, a speaker hole 1011, ahold button 108, and an earphone connector 109 may be disposed in anopposite side surface area (e.g., a lower end side surface area) of thefirst housing 101. The first housing 101 may be connected to the secondhousing 111 through the hinge unit 120.

The second display area 132 is disposed in the second housing 111, andthe second housing 111 may surround a periphery of the second displayarea 132. At least some of the device elements related to driving of thedisplay 130, for example, may be included inside the second housing 111.As illustrated, when the second display area 132 is larger than thefirst display area 131, in the first state, one side of a rear surfaceof the second housing 111 may be exposed in a direction of the firstdisplay area 131. An auxiliary display 139, for example, may be disposedon one side of a rear surface (e.g., one side of a periphery) of thesecond housing 111. An area of the auxiliary display 139 may include oneor more virtual key buttons 114, 115 a, 115 b, 115 c, and 115 d. Forexample, a power button 116 or a volume button 117 may be disposed in aside surface area of the second housing 111. The power button 116 or thevolume button 117, for example, may be disposed in a side surface areaof the first housing 101.

The hinge unit 120, for example, may include a hinge shaft 125, asliding unit 127, and a multi-bar 123. The hinge shaft 125 may fix thefirst housing 101 and the sliding unit 127 in a hinge manner. The hingeshaft 125 may support a hinge operation of the sliding unit 127 and thesecond housing 111 connected to the sliding unit 127 such that thesliding unit 127 is in a rotated state at a specific angle (e.g., 0 to180 degrees) with respect to the first housing 101. The hinge shaft 125may extend along a border between the first housing 101 and the secondhousing 111.

The above-described hinge unit 120 may include a fifth surface and asixth surface. The multi-bar 123 may be disposed on the fifth surface.At least a portion of the fifth surface may be curved or flat accordingto a hinge operation of the electronic device 100. The fifth surface maybe disposed between the first surface and the third surface. Accordingto an embodiment, the fifth surface may connect the first surface andthe third surface. At least a portion of the display 130 may be disposedon the fifth surface. The sliding unit 127 may be disposed on the sixthsurface, and at least a portion of the sliding unit 127 may be insertedin to the second housing 111 or may be extracted from the second housing111 according to a hinge state of the electronic device 100. Accordingto various embodiments, the sliding unit 127 may be disposed in a formin which at least a portion of the sliding unit 127 is moved to theoutside of the second housing 111 and then at least a portion of thesliding unit 127 is extracted from the outside of the second housing111. The sixth surface may be disposed between the second surface andthe fourth surface.

The multi-bar 123 may be disposed under the hinge display area 133 ofthe rear surface of the display 130. The multi-bar 123 may becontinuously arranged in a flat form by an external force or may be bentat a specific angle. The sliding unit 127 may be slid into the secondhousing 111 or be exposed to the outside according to a folded state ofthe electronic device 100. For example, when the electronic device 100is in the first state (e.g., a folded state), the sliding unit 127 maymaintain a state in which the sliding unit 127 is inserted into thesecond housing 111. When the electronic device 100 is in the secondstate (e.g., an unfolded state), an area of the sliding unit 127inserted into the second housing 111 may be minimized. When theelectronic device 100 is in a third state (e.g., a state having aspecific angle, for example, more than 0 to less than 180 degrees), apartial area of the sliding unit 127 may be inserted into the secondhousing 111.

FIG. 3 is a view schematically illustrating a first housing and adisplay of an electronic device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3, the first housing 101 of the present disclosure mayinclude a right side upper end cover 101 a and a right side rear surfacecase 101, and at least one of device elements, for example, a camera103, a camera bracket 147, a receiver 144, an subscriber identificationmodule (SIM) printed circuit board (PCB) 143, a battery 141, a main PCB140, a shield can 145, a battery 141, a battery connection line 150, aconnector case 149, a first sub PCB 142, a home button 148, and abattery connection line 150 may be embedded in the first housing 101. Atleast a portion of at least one of the device elements embedded in thefirst housing 101 may be exposed to the outside. For example, at least aportion of the camera 103, the receiver 144, the connector case 149, andthe home button 148 may be exposed through a hole provided in the rightside upper end cover 101 a.

The camera bracket 147 may include a deck in which the camera 103 may beseated, and an image sensor configured to supply a signal to the camera103 and store a signal acquired by the camera 103. The receiver 144 mayoutput a communication connection sound or a communication sound of theelectronic device 100. The SIM PCB 143 may include an SIM card, and mayinclude a driving circuit related to reading and writing of the SIMcard. The SIM PCB 143 may be electrically connected to the main PCB 140,and may provide SIM information in correspondence to control of anapplication process (or a processor) disposed in the main PCB 140. Thebattery 141 may supply electric power related to an operation of theelectronic device 100. The battery 141 may be connected to a first subPCB 142 through the battery connection line 150, and may be charged byreceiving electric power from a charger connected to the outside throughthe connector case 149. The battery connection line 150, for example,may be formed of a field programmable circuit board (or Flexible printedcircuit board) (FPCB). The battery connection line 150 may connect thebattery 141 and the first sub PCB 142. The first sub PCB 142 may beseated on one side of the connector case 149. A speaker and a microphonemay be connected to the first sub PCB 142. The first sub PCB 142 may beconnected to the main PCB 140 to transmit and receive a signal relatedthe speaker and the microphone. One side of the home button 148 may beexposed through a hole provided in the right side upper end cover 101 a.The home button 148 may be electrically connected to the first sub PCB142 or may be directly connected to the main PCB 140.

The right side upper end cover 101 a, for example, may include a firstseating part 101 a_1 in which the first display area 131 of the display130 may be disposed, a right side upper end area 101 a_2 disposed at anupper end of the first seating part 101 a_1, and a right side lower endarea 101 a_3 disposed at a lower end of the first seating part 101 a_1.The camera 103, the receiver 144, and the like may be disposed in theright side upper end area 101 a_2 of the right side upper end cover 101a. The home button 148, the connector case 149, and the like may bedisposed in the right side lower end area 101 a_3 of the right sideupper end cover 101 a. The above-described device elements disposedinside the first housing 101 is exemplary, and may be changed incorrespondence of a design intention of the electronic device 100. Forexample, although it is illustrated that the home button 148 has a formof a physical button, it may be replaced by a touch pad type. Further,the camera 103 and the camera bracket 147 may be removed from the deviceelements.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating an example of a second housing accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4, the second housing 111 of the present disclosuremay include a left side upper end cover 111 a and a left side rearsurface case 111 b. The second housing 111 may include a slide sheet183, a bottom case 184, a bonding member 181, an auxiliary battery 186,first magnet members 182, an auxiliary display 139, a slide sheet 183, aside button 190 (e.g., the power button 116 or the volume button 117),and a slider 185. Further, the second housing 111 may include avibration module 187, antenna sheet 188, and a second sub PCB 189electrically connected to the side button 190 and the auxiliary display139 and configured to process a signal related to operations of the sidebutton 190 and the auxiliary display 139.

The left side upper end cover 111 a, for example, may include a secondseating part 111 a_1 in which one surface of the display may bedisposed, and a left side upper end area 111 a_2 and a left side lowerend area 111 a_3 disposed at an upper end and a lower end of the secondseating part 111 a_1, respectively. The second seating part 111 a_1, forexample, may include a flat area in which a central part of the seconddisplay area 132 is disposed, and a curved area in which a peripheralarea of the second display area 132 is disposed. The display 130 maymove to a partial area disposed in the curved area in correspondence tothe bending of the electronic device 100. For example, when theelectronic device 100 is the first state (e.g., a folded state), thedisplay 130 may move from a periphery of the curved area of the secondseating part 111 a_1 toward a flat area by a specific length. When theelectronic device 100 is the second state (e.g., an unfolded state), thedisplay 130 may move toward a periphery of the curved area of the secondseating part 111 a_1. At least a portion of the interiors of the leftside upper end area 111 a_2 and the left side lower end area 111 a_3,for example, may be empty such that the second housing 111 moves in aspecific direction with respect to the hinge unit 120. The hinge unit120 may be provided inside the left side upper end area 111 a_2 and theleft side lower end area 111 a_3, and rail supports 164 configured tosupport sliding of the second housing 111 may be moved.

The slide sheet 183 may reduce a frictional force that may be repeatedlygenerated while the second housing 111 is slid while improving a slidingfunction of the second housing 111. The slide sheet 183, for example,may be formed of a material, a frictional coefficient of at least aportion of a surface of which is relatively low (or not more than aspecific value). The bottom case 184 may be disposed inside the leftside lower end area 111 a_3 (or the left side upper end area 111 a_2),and may guide a rail support 164 of the hinge unit 120. The bondingmember 181 may bond the left side upper end cover 111 a and the leftside rear surface case 111 b. The bonding member 181 may bond aperipheral part of the left side upper end cover 111 a and a peripheralpart of the left side rear surface case 111 b. The auxiliary battery 186may supply electric power of the electronic device 100. The auxiliarybattery 186 may be charged in correspondence to control of a processoror be charged in parallel (or together with or simultaneously with) thebattery 141 after the battery 141 disposed in the first housing 101 iscompletely charged. The first magnet member 182 may be used to maintainthe first state (e.g., a folded state) of the electronic device 100. Theauxiliary display 139 may be disposed at a periphery (e.g., under acurved area) of the left side upper end cover 111 a, and may outputinformation in correspondence of control to the processor. According tovarious embodiments, the auxiliary display 139 may include a touchscreen function, and may be used as an input unit based on the touchscreen function.

The antenna sheet 188, for example, may perform wireless charging or anear field communication (NFC) function. In this regard, at least one ofa wireless charging antenna or an NFC antenna, a charging circuit, andan NFC control integrated circuit (IC) may be disposed in the antennasheet 188. The side button 190, for example, may include a volume key ora power key. The vibration module 187 (e.g., the vibration motor) maygenerate vibration of a specific pattern in correspondence to control ofthe processor. The second sub PCB 189 may perform signal processingrelated to control of the auxiliary display 139. Further, the second subPCB 189 may process a user input by pressing of the side button 190 ormay deliver the received user input to the main PCB 140. The slider 185may be coupled to a constraint part of the rail support disposed in thehinge unit 120, and may fix the constraint part in the interior of theleft side upper end area 111 a_2 or the left side lower end area 111 a_3that performs sliding of the second housing 111. Accordingly, while theconstraint part of the hinge unit 120 moves in the rail support, asliding operation in which the second housing 111 becomes far away fromor closer to the hinge unit 120 may be performed. Meanwhile, as anexample, at least some of the above-described device elements includedin the second housing 111 may be omitted or various other elements maybe disposed in the second housing 111.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating an example of a hinge unit according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is an example of an exploded perspective view of a hinge unitaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating an example of front and rear surfaces of amulti-bar according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a partial area of a multi-bar according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a coupled state of a multi-bar and a hingebracket according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating an example of a portion of a side surfaceof an electronic device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the hinge unit 120 of the present disclosuremay include at least one of a multi-bar 123, second magnet members 161,magnet support members 168, a plate 166, a support cover 163, railsupports 164, a constraint part 165, a hinge bracket 162 a, a rotationguide 162 b, and a support plate 169. The hinge unit 120 having thestructure may be designed such that the center of the hinge unit 120 isbranched (or at least a portion of the hinge unit 120 is separated). Forexample, a pair of magnet support members 168 may be provided withrespect to contacting surfaces thereof, and one of the pair of magnetsupport members 168 may be fixed to the plate 166 and the other of thepair of magnet support members 168 may be fixed to the support cover163. The pair of second magnet members 161 may be disposed inside themagnet support members 168, respectively. Accordingly, one of the secondmagnet members 161 may be disposed on one side of the magnet supportmembers 168, and the other of the second magnet members 161 may bedisposed on an opposite side of the magnet support members 168.Accordingly, when the electronic device 100 is in the first state (e.g.,the folded state), the magnet support members 168 and the second magnetmembers 161 may be spaced apart from each other to be disposedvertically in parallel to each other. When the electronic device 100 isin the second state (e.g., an unfolded state), the magnet supportmembers 168 and the second magnet members 161 may be coupled to eachother through a magnetic force while facing each other.

The second magnet members 161, for example, may include a plurality ofmagnets that form pairs. Further, the second magnet members 161 may formpairs, and at least first ones of the second magnet members 161 includesa magnet and the other ones of the second magnet members 161 may includea magnetic body reacting a magnetic force of the magnet. The pairs ofsecond magnet members 161 may be disposed in the magnet support members168 that form pairs. Although it is illustrated that the second magnetmembers 161, for example, has a bar shape, the present disclosure is notlimited thereto. For example, the second magnet members 161 may have ashape such as a cylindrical shape or a polygonal shape.

At least corresponding surfaces of the magnet support members 168contact each other. The second magnet members 161 may be fixed to atleast corresponding sides of the magnet support members 168. Accordingto an embodiment, first ones of the second magnet members 161 isinserted into first ones of the magnet support members 168 that formpairs, and surfaces of the second magnet members 161 may be exposed tothe outside. The other ones of the magnet support members 168 that formpairs also may be inserted into the other ones of the second magnetmembers 161, and surfaces of the inserted second magnet members 161 maybe exposed to face the other ones. The magnet support members 168 thatform pairs may be fixed to the plate 166 and the support cover 163,respectively, and the facing surfaces of the magnet support members 168may contact each other or be spaced apart from each other incorrespondence to spacing or arrangement of the plate 166 and thesupport cover 163. As the pair of magnet support members 168 areseparated or integrated, the pairs of the second magnet members 161fixed to one side of the magnet support members 168 may be separated orbe coupled to each other (or maintain a contact state) based on amagnetic force.

The plate 166 may be disposed axially while having a specific length(e.g., a length that is the same as or similar to a longitudinal lengthof the electronic device 100). At least one first connector 166 a (e.g.,a boss having a female screw thread) may be disposed on a surface of theplate 166. First ones of the magnetic support members 168 that formpairs may be fixed to the first connector 166 a disposed in the plate166, and first ones of the second magnet members 161 that form pairs maybe fixed to the magnet support members 168. Additionally, at least onehinge bracket 162 a (e.g., some hinge brackets 162 a) may be fixed toone side of the plate 166. The plate 166 may be disposed in parallel tothe support cover 163.

The support cover 163 may have a specific axial length (e.g., a lengththat is substantially the same as that of the plate 166) and a specificwidth (e.g., a specific width that is larger than that of the plate166). At least one second connector 163 a (e.g., a boss having a femalescrew thread) may be disposed on one side of the support cover 163(e.g., an area that is adjacent to the plate 166 when the plate 166 isdisposed in parallel). The second connector 163 a disposed in thesupport cover 163 may be disposed to be aligned with the first connector166 a disposed in the plate 166. First ones of the magnet supportmembers 168 that form pairs (to which first ones of the second magnetmembers 161 that form pairs are fixed) may be fixed to an upper side ofthe support cover 163. According to various embodiments, the railsupports 164 may be fixed to one side of the support cover 163. Thesupport plate 169 may be disposed between the support cover 163 and therail supports 164. When the electronic device 100 is in a second state(e.g., an unfolded state), the support cover 163 may be disposed inparallel to the plate 166. Further, when the electronic device 100 is ina first state (e.g., a folded state), the support cover 163 may bealigned with the plate 166 vertically. The support cover 163 may includea seating groove 167 in which the hinge shaft 125 may be seated, at aperiphery of one side of the support cover 163. For example, the seatinggroove 167 may extend in a longitudinal direction of the support cover163. The hinge shaft 125 inserted into the seating groove 167, forexample, may be rotated in the seating groove 167 by magnet supportmembers and a hinge bracket.

The rail supports 164 may be disposed on one side (e.g., an upper endside and a lower end side) of the support cover 163. Some of the railsupports 164 may have shapes that are similar to those of the magnetsupport members 168, and the others of the rail supports may have a ringshape one axis of which is relatively longer than the other axisthereof. The ring may be disposed in a direction of the second housing111. The constraint part 165 may be disposed on one side (e.g., aninside of the ring) of the rail supports 164.

The constraint part 165, for example, may have an elliptical shape, oneaxis of which is longer than another axis thereof, or a rectangularshape, a corner of which is rounded. The constraint part 165 may bedisposed inside the rings of the rail supports 164. Then, the constraintpart 165 may move in one direction (e.g., a long axis direction of thering) inside the rail supports 164. The constraint part 165, for examplemay be fixed to one side of the second housing 111. Accordingly, as thesecond housing 111 moves while the electronic device 100 is in the firststate or in the second state, the constraint part 165 may move toleftwards and rightwards (or forwards and rearwards) inside the rainsupports 164. The constraint part 165 may include at least one thirdconnector 165 a (e.g., a hole having a female screw thread) for couplingwith the second housing 111.

The hinge bracket 162 a may have a rectangular shape, and one end of thehinge bracket 162 a may be bent and the remaining areas of the hingebracket 162 a may be flat. At least one fourth connector 162 a_1 (e.g.,a hole having a female screw thread), which is to be coupled to theplate 166 or the support cover 163 may be disposed on one side of thehinge bracket 162 a. A plurality of hinge brackets 162 a may beprovided. Some of the plurality of hinge brackets 162 a may be coupledto the plate 166, and the remaining ones thereof may be coupled to thesupport cover 163. The hinge brackets 162 a may function to fix themulti-bar 123 while the electronic device 100 is in the first state orthe second state. In this regard, the hinge brackets 162 a may beinserted into recesses formed in the multi-bar 123.

The rotation guide 162 b may include a flat area, and a curved areaextending from the flat area. The flat area may include at least onefixing hole that may fix the rotation guide 162 b to the plate 166. Asection of an end of the curved area of the rotation guide 162 b mayface a front surface of the support cover 163 while the electronicdevice 100 is unfolded state. The above-described rotation guide 162 bmay support rotation of the multi-bar 123 while the state of theelectronic device 100 is changed to a bent state (e.g., a state in whichthe first housing 101 and the second housing 111 form a specific angle,for example, 30 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees, or 120 degrees) or afolded state (a state in which the first housing 101 and the secondhousing 111 are disposed vertically in parallel to each other or a statein which an angle formed by the first housing 101 and the second housing111 is 0 degrees).

The support plate 169, for example, may have a rectangular shape, andmay be disposed between the support cover 163 and the rail supports 164to support the rail supports 164. According to an embodiment, thesupport plate 169 may support the constraint part 165 when theconstraint part 165 moves as the second housing 111 rotates while facingone surface of the constraint part 165 disposed inside the rail supports164 under the constraint part 165.

At least a portion of an upper surface of the multi-bar 123 in the axialdirection of the hinge unit 120 may be flat and a plurality of columnsstepped between a central portion and a peripheral portion of themulti-bar 123 may be mechanically coupled to each other. A rear surfaceof the display 130 may be seated in a central bottom part 23 of an uppersurface (e.g., a surface in a direction in which the display 130 isdisposed) of the multi-bar 123, and a peripheral part and the steppedpart 21 of the multi-bar 123 may protect a side surface of the display130 and guide a side surface of the display 130 when the display isslid.

As described above, when the first housing 101 and the second housing111 perform a hinge operation, the electronic device 100 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure may support the second state (e.g.,the unfolded state) more firmly based on the magnetic coupling orseparation of the second magnet members 161 that form pairs.

Referring to FIG. 7, the multi-bar 123 may be provided such that theplurality of columns 123 a are continuously connected to each other. Aportion of an upper part of one column 123 a of the multi-bar 123, forexample, at least a portion of an upper end of the bottom part 23 of themulti-bar 123 may be formed flat, and stepped parts 21 that are higherthan the bottom part 23 by a specific height may be disposed at oppositeends of the central portion of the multi-bar 123. A lower portion of thecolumn 123 a may include one or more bosses 25 extending downwards. Thebosses 25 may be spaced apart from each other at a specific interval.Conic downward bosses, for example, triangular bosses 27 (or polygonalbosses) may be disposed in the stepped parts 21 of the opposite ends ofthe column 123 a. The triangular bosses 27 may function as a shield suchthat the inside of the electronic device 100 is not observed from theoutside while contacting (continuously contacting) the triangular bosses27 of the adjacent columns.

Referring to FIG. 8, the column 123 a may include one or more connectionbosses 29 extending from one or more side walls of the bosses 25 atangles that are different from those of the bosses 25. The column 123 amay include one or more boss recesses 28 disposed on a surface of thecolumn 123 a, which is opposite to a surface on which the bosses 25having the connection bosses 29 are formed, and into which theconnection bosses 29 may be inserted. The connection bosses of anothercolumn may be inserted into the boss recesses 28 or at least some of theconnection bosses of another column may be extracted from the bossrecesses 28 according to whether the electronic device 100 is folded.

Referring to FIG. 9, the multi-bar 123 in which a plurality of columns123 a are continuously disposed may include a groove 901 having aspecific length as the above-described bosses 25 are continuouslydisposed with respect to a horizontal surface. The above-mentioned hingebracket 162 a may be inserted into the groove 901. The hinge bracket 162a inserted into the groove 901 may support the columns of the multi-bar123 while moving along an inner wall of the groove 901 in correspondenceto whether the electronic device 100 is folded or unfolded. Further, theshape of the multi-bar 123 may be maintained by fixing the columns 123 aof the hinge bracket 162 a such that the columns 123 a are notseparated. The groove 901 may have a specific shape (e.g., a T shape)such that the hinge bracket 162 a is not easily separated after beinginserted into the groove 901. In this regard, the hinge bracket 162 amay have a shape (e.g., a T shape), an upper end of which has a widththat is larger than that of a lower end thereof.

Referring to FIG. 10, the second housing 111 of the electronic device100 may be connected to the hinge unit 120. In the hinge unit 120, forexample, the plurality of columns 123 a are continuously arranged, andthe upper end surfaces of the columns 123 a may be continuously disposedin correspondence to the unfolded state of the electronic device 100.Accordingly, lower ends of the columns 123 a, a section of a lower endof which is smaller than that of an upper end thereof (for example, thesection is triangular), may be disposed in a convexo-concave form as instate 1001. In order to surround a side surface of the multi-bar 123having convexo-concave columns 123 a, the hinge unit 120 may include aside cover 1010 as in state 1005. The side cover 1010 coupled to thehinge unit 120 may be inserted into the second housing 111 by a firstwidth (e.g., a width inserted into the second housing 111 in a foldedstate) or by a second width (e.g., a width inserted into the secondhousing 111 in an unfolded state) according to the folded state or theunfolded state of the electronic device 100. An opposite side of thehinge unit 120, for example, may be connected to the housing 101. Thehinge shaft 125 may be disposed on one side of the first housing 101.The hinge unit 120 may be rotated about the hinge shaft 125 insertedinto the seating groove 167 while performing a hinge operation, and thesecond housing 111 connected to an end of the hinge unit 120 may bedisposed at a specific angle according to rotation of the hinge unit120. In this operation, the support cover 163 provided in the hinge unit120 and the side cover 1010 supporting a side surface of the hinge unit120 may performing a sliding operation to the inside of the secondhousing 111.

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating an example of a coupled state of anelectronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12A is a view exemplifying a coupling sequence of an electronicdevice according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12A, as described above, the electronic device100 may include a first housing 101, a second housing 111, and a hingeunit 120. The first housing 101 may be disposed such that the firstdisplay area of the display is exposed, and at least one device elementrelated to driving of the electronic device 100 may be disposed. Forexample, the device element disposed inside the first housing 101, forexample, may include at least one of a battery, a microphone, a camera,a memory, an SIM card, a first magnet member for coupling, a speaker, aconnector, and an ear jack connector. The device element disposed insidethe second housing 111, for example, may include an auxiliary battery, avibration module, a magnet member for coupling, and a side button.

As in state 1201, in the above-described electronic device 100, theright side upper end cover 101 a of the first housing 101 and the leftside upper end cover 111 a of the second housing 111 may be disposed inparallel to each other, and the hinge unit 120 may be coupled betweenthe right side upper end cover 101 a and the left side upper end cover111 a. Additionally, the above-described device elements disposed insidethe first housing 101 may be disposed inside the right side upper endcover 101 a, and the above-described device elements disposed inside thesecond housing 111 may be disposed inside the left side upper end cover111 a.

As in state 1203, the display 130 may be disposed on a front surface ofthe electronic device 100. In this regard, seating surfaces, on whichthe display 130 may be seated, may be disposed at central portions ofthe right side upper end cover 101 a of the first housing 101 and theleft side upper end cover 111 a of the second housing 111. A surface ofthe hinge unit 120, on which the display 130 is positioned, may have adownwardly stepped shape, a specific area recess (e.g., areas of thebottom parts of the centers of the columns 123 a) corresponding to theseating surface is lower than opposite ends thereof. As described above,one flexible display 130 (e.g., plastic OLED display (POLED)) may bedisposed on the right side upper end cover 101 a, a bottom part of thecenter of the upper end of the hinge unit 120, and the left side upperend cover 111 a. The display 130 may be electrically connected to themain cover disposed inside the right side upper end cover 101 a througha hole disposed on one side of the right side upper end cover 101 a.

As in state 1205, the right side rear surface case 101 b and the leftside rear surface case 111 b of the electronic device 100 may cover therear surfaces of the right side upper end cover 101 a and the left sideupper end cover 111 a. Then, the left side upper end cover 111 a and theleft side rear surface case 111 b may be coupled to each other such thatthe rail supports 164 disposed in the hinge unit 120 may be slid.

FIG. 12B is a view illustrating an example of a state of an internalstructure during a hinge operation of an electronic device according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 12B, as in state 1211, the electronic device 100 maybe in an unfolded state. The first housing 101, the second housing 111,and the hinge unit 120 of the electronic device 100 may be parallel toeach other. In this operation, a flat area of the hinge bracket 162 amay be disposed in parallel to the front surface of the first housing101. The rotation guide 162 b may support the unfolded state of theplate and the support cover.

The hinge shaft 125 may be disposed between the right side rear surfacecase 101 b of the first housing 101 and the hinge unit 120. The hingeshaft 125 may have a semicircular section such that it does not protrudeto the outside or a protrusion degree thereof is small, and theprotruding portion of the hinge shaft 125 may be disposed from the rightside rear surface case 101 b toward the right side upper end cover 101 aof the first housing 101. When the electronic device 100 is in anunfolded state, the multi-bar 123 may be disposed in a horizontal state.The drawing illustrates an area of a central portion of the display 130is cut, for description of the hinge unit 120.

As in state 1213, the electronic device 100 may have a bent state inwhich the first housing 101 and the second housing 111 form a specificangle. In this state, the flat area of the hinge bracket 162 a disposedin the hinge unit 120 may form a specific angle with an upper endsurface of the second housing 111 while being disposed in parallel tothe upper end surface of the second housing 111. While the electronicdevice 100 is in a bent state, at least a portion of the multi-bar 123of the hinge unit 120 may be bent. Through the hinge operation of thehinge unit 120, the support cover 163 of the hinge unit 120 may be slidinto the second housing 111. Further, the rail supports 164 of the hingeunit 120 may be slid along the constraint part 165 as an axis.

As in state 1215, the electronic device 100 may have a folded state inwhich the first housing 101 and the second housing 111 are disposed inparallel to each other. In this case, the rear surface of the firsthousing 101 may face the rear surface of the hinge unit 120 and the rearsurface of the second housing 111 with respect to the hinge shaft 125. Aflat area of the hinge bracket 162 a may be disposed in parallel to theupper end surface of the first housing 101.

FIG. 13 is a view illustrating various examples of a hold state of anelectronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a view illustrating an example of a state of a hinge unit inan unfolded state of an electronic device according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a view illustrating an example of a state of a hinge unit ina bent state of an electronic device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a view illustrating an example of a state of a hinge unit ina folded state of an electronic device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 13, as in state 1301, the electronic device 100 of thepresent disclosure may be in an unfolded state. The unfolded state mayinclude a state in which the first housing 101, the hinge unit 120, andthe second housing 111 are disposed in parallel to each other.Accordingly, as illustrated, in the multi-bar 123 of the hinge unit 120,upper surfaces of the columns 123 a may contact upper surface of theadjacent columns. The upper end surface of the multi-bar 123 may beflat, and the display 130 may be disposed on the flat surface to beflat. While the upper surfaces of the columns 123 a having an inversetriangular section is flat, a lower portion of the multi-bar 123 may beconvexo-concave.

The electronic device 100 may be in a bent state as in state 1303.Although the drawing illustrates a state in which the first housing 101and the second housing 111 form an angle of 90 degrees, the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto. As illustrated, while the firsthousing 101 and the second housing 111 form a specific angle, at leastone bars of the multi-bar 123 of the hinge unit 120 are disposed suchthat there is no convexo-concave gap and the remaining bars of themulti-bar 123 may be disposed to maintain a convexo-concave gap. Forexample, in the bent state, lower sides of the first columns 123 a_1 ofthe multi-bar 123 disposed in parallel to the second housing 111 maymaintain a convexo-concave shape while the upper surfaces thereof areflat. The lower inclined edges of the second columns 123 a_2 disposed inbent areas of the multi-bar 123 may face inclined edges of the adjacentcolumns. Accordingly, while the upper surfaces of the bars of themulti-bar 123 maintain a flat shape, the lower sides of the bars of themulti-bar 123 may be adjacent to each other or may gather together withrespect to the hinge shaft 125. Accordingly, the display 130 may includean area disposed on the first housing 101 to be flat, an area disposedin the first housing 101 to be flat while forming a specific angle(e.g., the right angle), and a curved area (a shape of a ¼ arc of acircle) disposed on the hinge unit 120.

The electronic device 100 may be in a folded state as in state 1305. Forexample, a first housing 101 and a second housing 111 may be disposed inparallel to each other. Then, a rear surface of the first housing 101and a rear surface of the second housing 111 may face each other. Inthis regard, the multi-bar 123 of the hinge unit 120 may be disposed ina semicircular shape (or at 180 degrees with respect to the hinge shaft125). The multi-bar 123 disposed in a semicircular shape may have astate in which the lower inclined edges of the columns 123 a contact orface the lower inclined edges of the adjacent columns. Further, theapexes of the columns 123 a of the multi-bar 123 may gather in the hingeshaft 125. The display 130 may be disposed at an upper portion of themulti-bar to be deflected in correspondence to the bent shape of themulti-bar 123. Accordingly, the display 130 may include an area disposedon the first housing 101 to be flat, an area disposed in the firsthousing 101 to be flat while being disposed in parallel to the firsthousing 101, and a curved area (a shape of a semicircle of a circle)disposed on the hinge unit 120. It is noted that the columns 123 a mayhave shapes other than a convexo-concave shape, and thus are not limitedthereto. For example, the columns 123 a may be cubic or cylindrical inshape, with or without hollow interiors, (not shown) if the columns 123a are made of a resiliently-compressible material that can be compressedin shape to, e.g., a convexo-concave shape, as the first housing 101and/or the second housing 111 is/are rotated around the hinge shaft 125similar to 123_1 in state 1303 illustrated in FIG. 13.

Referring to FIG. 14, as illustrated, the electronic device 100 may havea form in which the multi-bar 123 disposed in the hinge unit 120 isdisposed to be flat. For example, when the electronic device 100 is inan unfolded state as in state 1401, the hinge unit 120 is disposed suchthat the plurality of columns 123 a constituting the multi-bar 123 areparallel to each other while forming a flat surface andsurface-contacting each other as in state 1402. According to anembodiment, as in state 1403, the lower sides of the columns 123 aconstituting the hinge unit 120 may have a saw-tooth shape (or aconvexo-concave shape). As in state 1404, the upper sides of the columns123 a may have an upwardly stepped shape. As in state 1405 or state1406, an aperture may not be generated between the stepped partsdisposed at the outskirts of the columns 123 a while being closelyadjacent to the stepped parts of the adjacent columns. The bottom partsdisposed inside the columns 123 a may be disposed in parallel to thebottom parts of the adjacent columns, and may be disposed while having aspecific interval (e.g., S103). The steps between the stepped parts andthe bottom parts, for example, may have a height corresponding to thethickness (e.g., S104) of the display. Further, the height of the stepsmay have a value that is larger than the thickness of the display 130 toprotect the display 130.

Referring to FIG. 15, as illustrated, the electronic device 100 may havea form in which the multi-bar 123 disposed in the hinge unit 120 has aspecific bending angle (e.g., 30 to 120 degrees, for example, 90degrees). According to an embodiment, as in state 1501 and state 1502,some first columns 123 a_1 of the plurality of columns 123 aconstituting the multi-bar 123 of the hinge unit 120 disposed betweenthe first housing 101 and the second housing 111 may be disposed to formcurved surfaces and the remaining second columns 123 a_2 may form flatsurfaces. In an area having a curved surface, the display 130 may be ina bent state.

When the electronic device 100 is bent at a specific angle, as in states1503, 1504, and 1505, the disposition state of the plurality of columns123 a constituting the multi-bar 123 may be changed. For example, thefirst column parts 123 a_1 forming curved surfaces may be disposed to beadjacent to the other columns while having a specific interval betweenthe stepped parts 21. The bottom parts 23 of the first columns 123 a_1forming curved surfaces may be disposed to closely contact the bottomparts of the adjacent columns such that no separate aperture isgenerated. The lower side walls of the first columns 123 a_1 formingcurved surfaces may be disposed to closely contact the lower side wallsof the adjacent columns. The stepped parts 21 of the second columns 123a_2 forming flat surfaces may be disposed to be close to the steppedparts of the adjacent columns substantially without having no apertures.The bottom parts 23 of the second columns 123 a_2 forming flat surfacesmay be disposed in parallel to the bottom parts of the adjacent columnswhile having a specific gap with the bottom parts of the adjacentcolumns. As described in FIG. 14, the lower side walls of the secondcolumns 123 a_2 forming flat surfaces may be disposed while forming asaw-tooth shape (or a convexo-concave shape).

Referring to FIG. 16, as illustrated, the electronic device 100 may bedisposed such that the first housing 101 and the second housing 111 arefolded. For example, as in state 1601, state 1603, and state 1605, theupper ends of the plurality of columns 123 a constituting the multi-bar123 included in the hinge unit 120 may form curved surfaces (forexample, semicircular surfaces). In this regard, the lower side walls ofthe columns 123 a having an inverse-triangular section may be disposedwhile being closely adjacent to or contacting the lower side walls ofthe adjacent columns. The center lines of the columns 123 a, forexample, may face the center of the hinge shaft 125.

Further, as in state 1602, state 1604, state 1606, and state 1607, thestepped parts 21 of the plurality of columns 123 a constituting themulti-bar 123 disposed in the hinge unit 120 may be widened while havinga specific interval from the stepped parts of the adjacent columns. Thebottom parts 23 of the columns 123 a may closely contact the bottomparts of the adjacent columns. Then, as illustrated, each of the upperends of the columns 123 a may include an outer stepped portion 21 awidened while forming a specific angle, and an inner stepped portion 21b having no aperture while closely contacting the adjacent columns. Theouter stepped portions 21 a and the inner stepped portions 21 b areprovided to separate the upper ends of the columns in view of meanings,and may be provided as a single body.

A location of a neutral surface of the display 130 may be determined inconsideration of the thickness and material of the display 130, and theneutral surface may correspond to a specific range from the top surfaceto the bottom surface of the display 130. When the neutral surface isapplied with reference to the bottom surface, the angle of area S002increases while the size of area S003 becomes zero, and a design havingno aperture (or a gap) in a part that supports the display 130 may bemaintained even when the electronic device is completely spread. Thesize of area S003 increases to the corresponding surface and the size ofarea S002 decreases when the neutral surface is applied with referenceto the top surface and the apertures of the bottom surfaces of thecolumns 123 a supporting the display are present to a degree when theelectronic device is spread, but the degree of the apertures of thebottom surfaces may become smaller to an ignorable degree because thethickness of the display 130 is small. When the central location isapplied as the neutral surface, the apertures of the columns 123 asupporting the display 130 is a specific distance (e.g., 0.1 mm) and thecolumns 123 a exposed to the outside may surface-contact each otherwhile having no aperture.

FIG. 17 is a view illustrating an example of an inside of a hinge unitin a folded state of an electronic device according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 17, as in state 1701 and state 1703, the hinge unit120 of the electronic device 100 may be curved while the first housing101 and the second housing 111 are disposed vertically in parallel toeach other. In this regard, the stepped parts 21 of the columns 123 aincluded in the multi-bar 123 of the hinge unit 120 may be spaced apartfrom the stepped parts of the adjacent columns by a specific interval.The bottom parts 23 of the columns 123 a may closely contact the bottomparts of the adjacent columns, and the columns 123 a may be disposedcircularly as a whole. In this state, the columns 123 a may form curvedparts with respect to the hinge shaft 125. While the hinge unit 120forms a curved portion, the second magnet members 161 forming pairs,which are disposed in the hinge unit 120, and the magnet support members168 including the second magnet members 161 may be disposed verticallyin parallel to each other. First ones of the second magnet members 161forming pairs and the magnet support members 168 forming pairs may bedisposed in the plate 166, and the other ones thereof may be disposed inthe support cover 163.

According to various embodiments, the portable electronic device mayinclude a first housing including a first surface and a second surfacethat is opposite to the first surface, a second housing including athird surface and a fourth surface that is opposite to the thirdsurface, a hinge unit including a fifth surface and a sixth surface andconnecting the first housing and the second housing, a flexible displaydisposed on the first surface, the fifth surface, and the third surfaceand a processor electrically connected to the flexible display andlocated in at least one of the first housing or the second housing,wherein the hinge unit is deflected around a hinge shaft extending in afirst direction, wherein the hinge shaft extends along a border betweenthe first housing and the second housing when viewed from the top of thefirst surface, wherein at least part of the first surface and at leastpart of the third surface are disposed in the same direction before thehinge unit is bent, and wherein at least part of the second surface andat least part of the fourth surface face each other when the hinge unitis bent at a specific angle, wherein the hinge unit includes a pluralityof columns extending in the first direction and disposed on the fifthsurface together.

According to various embodiments, at least one of the plurality ofcolumns may include a top surface disposed at least a portion of thefifth surface, a bottom surface located in a direction of a sixthsurface that is opposite to the top surface and a first side surface anda second side surface located between the top surface and the bottomsurface, and wherein a width of at least one of the first side surfaceand the second side surface gradually decrease from the top surfacetoward the bottom surface of the column.

According to various embodiments, the hinge unit may include a firststructure formed on the sixth surface, wherein the first structureincludes a variable width that is perpendicular to the first direction,and wherein in a state in which the hinge unit is not bent, the variablewidth is longer than in a state in which the hinge unit is bent at aspecific angle.

According to various embodiments, a first unit provided to be movable ina specific direction from the second housing or toward the secondhousing in reference to provision of the variable width.

According to various embodiments, the first unit may be slid to anopening formed in the second housing.

According to various embodiments, a portable electronic device mayinclude a first housing including a first surface and a second surfacethat is opposite to the first surface, a second housing including athird surface and a fourth surface that is opposite to the third surfaceand a hinge unit connecting the first housing and the second housing andprovided such that the fourth surface is rotated in a direction thatfaces the first surface, wherein the hinge unit includes a hinge shaftdisposed at a periphery of one side of the first housing, a sliding unitat least a portion of which is slid to an inside or an outside of thesecond housing to be introduced or is slid from the inside or theoutside of the second housing in a specific direction to be extracted incorrespondence to a hinge operation of the second housing and amulti-bar disposed between the first surface and the fourth surface andincluding a plurality of multi-bar units to be spread or bent incorrespondence to a hinge operation of the second housing.

According to various embodiments, a thickness of the first housing and athickness of the second housing may be substantially the same orsimilar.

According to various embodiments, a width of the first housing and awidth of the second housing may be substantially the same or similar.

According to various embodiments, a width of the first housing or awidth of the second housing is larger than a width of the second housingor a width of the first housing by a specific size.

According to various embodiments, an auxiliary display disposed at aportion of the fourth surface of the second housing is exposed to theoutside through the first housing and the second housing is folded at aspecific angle.

According to various embodiments, the multi-bar may include a pluralityof columns disposed in a direction of the hinge shaft.

According to various embodiments, the column may include a bottom partformed flat and a stepped part disposed at an upper end and a lower endof the bottom part and stepped to be higher than the bottom part.

According to various embodiments, the bottom parts of the plurality ofcolumns form flat surfaces through closely surface-contacting theadjacent bottom parts while the first surface of the first housing andthe third surface of the second housing are disposed in the samedirection.

According to various embodiments, the bottom parts of the plurality ofcolumns form curved portions through closely surface-contacting theadjacent bottom parts while the second surface of the first housing andthe fourth surface of the second housing are disposed in the samedirection.

According to various embodiments, the stepped parts of the plurality ofcolumns form flat surfaces through closely surface-contacting theadjacent stepped parts while the first surface of the first housing andthe third surface of the second housing are disposed in the samedirection.

According to various embodiments, the stepped parts of the plurality ofcolumns form curved portions through forming an aperture from theadjacent stepped parts while the second surface of the first housing andthe fourth surface of the second housing face each other.

According to various embodiments, some of the plurality of columns formcurved portions through contacting the adjacent columns while forming aspecific angle within a range of an acute angle formed by the secondsurface of the first housing and the fourth surface of the secondhousing, and wherein the remaining columns form flat surfaces whilecontacting the adjacent column parts.

According to various embodiments, the stepped parts of the columnsforming the curved portions are disposed while forming apertures of thestepped portions of the contacting columns, and wherein the steppedparts of the columns forming the flat surfaces are disposed to closelysurface-contact the stepped parts of the contacting column parts.

According to various embodiments, the column may further include bossesextending downwards from peripheries of the stepped parts and widths ofwhich gradually decrease as they go from the upper side to the lowerside, and wherein at least some of the bosses disposed in the pluralityof columns are disposed to surface-contact the side walls of theadjacent bosses while being bent in a range of an acute angle formed bythe first housing and the second housing.

According to various embodiments, the hinge unit may include a platefixed to the first housing, a support cover fixed to the second housingand a pair of magnet members fixed to the plate and the support cover,respectively, and wherein the magnet members are magnetically coupled toeach other while the first surface of the first housing and the fourthsurface of the second housing are disposed in the same direction.

According to various embodiments, the portable electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment includes a first housing including a firstsurface and a second surface that is opposite to the first surface, asecond housing including a third surface and a fourth surface that isopposite to the third surface, and a hinge unit connecting the firsthousing and the second housing and provided such that the fourth surfaceof the second housing is rotated in a direction that faces the firstsurface of the first housing, the hinge unit includes a hinge shaftdisposed on one side of the first housing to support a hinge operationof the second housing, and a plurality of columns disposed between thefirst housing and the second housing to form curved portions during ahinge operation, and the plurality of columns may be disposed on oneside with respect to the hinge shaft while the first housing and thesecond housing are disposed vertically in parallel to each other.

According to various embodiments, the plurality of columns may bedisposed in a semicircular shape with respect to the hinge shaft.

According to various embodiments, the plurality of columns may bedisposed to be separated from the hinge shaft.

FIG. 18 is a view illustrating an example of various forms of anelectronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 18, in the electronic device, for example, a ratio ofthe first display area 131 and the second display area 132 may be aspecific ratio (e.g., 5:5, 7:3, or 3:7).

As in state 1801, in the electronic device 100 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, the sizes of the first displayarea 131_1 disposed in the first housing 101_1 and the second displayarea 132_1 disposed in the second housing 111_1 may be the same orsimilar. Accordingly, the first display area 131_1 and the seconddisplay area 132_1 may face each other while extending vertically at thesame length while the hinge unit 120_1 forms a curved portion such thatthe electronic device 100 is in a folded state. A hinge display area133_1 may be disposed between the first display area 131_1 and thesecond display area 132_1. The hinge display area 133_1 may be disposedon the hinge unit 120_1.

As in state 1803, in the electronic device 100 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, the size of the first display area131_2 disposed in the first housing 101_2 may be smaller than the seconddisplay area 132_2 disposed in the second housing 111_2. A hinge displayarea 133_2 disposed on the hinge unit 120_2 may be disposed between thefirst display area 131_2 and the second display area 133_2.

While the electronic device 100 is disposed in a folded state, at leasta partial area of the second display area 132_2 may be exposed to theoutside while the first display area 131_2 is positioned on the seconddisplay area 132_2. An auxiliary display 139, for example, may bedisposed in a partial area of the second display area 132_2 exposed tothe outside. For example, a physical key pressure sensor, a displaytouch sensor, and the like may be disposed in an area in which theauxiliary display 139 is disposed. A side key may be disposed at a sideof the first housing 101_2 or a side of the second housing 111_2.

As in state 1805, in the electronic device 100 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, the size of the first display area131_3 disposed in the first housing 101_3 may be larger than the seconddisplay area 132_3 disposed in the second housing 111_3. In this case, apartial area of the first display area 131_3 may be exposed to theoutside while the rear surface of the second display area 132_3 ispositioned in a partial area of the rear surface of the first displayarea 131_3. A hinge display area 133_3 may be disposed on the hinge unit120_3, between the first display area 131_3 and the second display area132_3.

The flexible display device according to the present disclosure maysecure a utility when being folded and a utility when being unfolded. Inthe flexible display device, the hinge unit 120 may absorb adisplacement that is necessary during a folding operation or anunfolding operation of the first housing 101 and the second housing 111.

According to various embodiments, in the flexible display device, onlythe first display area 131 disposed in the first housing 101 or thesecond display area 132 disposed in the second housing 111 may be turnedon in the folded state of the flexible display device. When aself-camera photographing function is performed, a display area (e.g.,the first display area 131) of the flexible display device in adirection of the front surface of the flexible display device may beturned on. When a subject is photographed, in a folded state, the seconddisplay area 132 may be turned on or the first display area 131 and thesecond display area 132 may be turned on. During photographing by acamera, the hinge display area 133 disposed in an area of the hinge unit120 may maintain a turn-off state.

When the state of the flexible display device is changed from a foldedstate to an unfolded state, the display 130 (e.g., the first displayarea 131, the second display area 132, and the hinge display area 133)may be automatically turned on. Further, when a portion of the flexibledisplay device is folded at a specific angle, at least a portion of thedisplay may be turned off (e.g., the entire display area may be turnedoff or the second display area 132 may be turned off).

As described above, according to various embodiments, the portability ofthe display may be maintained while the size of the display is enlarged.Further, according to various embodiments, the display areas may be usedin various forms according to a folded state of the flexible displaydevice, and a folding fatigue of the display, which occurs in a sectionthat is folded by a hinge operation, may be improved.

While the present disclosure has been shown and described with referenceto various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilledin the art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable electronic device comprising: a firsthousing including a first surface and a second surface opposite to thefirst surface; a second housing including a third surface and a fourthsurface opposite to the third surface; a hinge including a fifth surfaceand a sixth surface, the hinge connecting the first housing and thesecond housing; a flexible display disposed on the first surface, thefifth surface, and the third surface; and at least one processorelectrically connected to the flexible display and located in at leastone of the first housing or the second housing, wherein the hinge isconfigured to deflect around a hinge shaft extending in a firstdirection, wherein the hinge shaft extends along a border between thefirst housing and the second housing when viewed from a top of the firstsurface, wherein at least a part of the first surface and at least apart of the third surface are disposed in a same direction before thehinge is bent, wherein at least a part of the second surface and atleast a part of the fourth surface face each other when the hinge isbent at a specific angle, and wherein the hinge includes a plurality ofcolumns extending in the first direction and disposed on the fifthsurface together.
 2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, whereinat least one of the plurality of columns includes: a top surfacedisposed at a portion of the fifth surface; a bottom surface located ina direction of a sixth surface that is opposite to the top surface; anda first side surface and a second side surface located between the topsurface and the bottom surface, wherein a width of at least one of thefirst side surface and the second side surface gradually decrease fromthe top surface toward the bottom surface of the plurality of columns.3. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the hinge includesa first structure formed on the sixth surface, wherein the firststructure includes a variable width that is perpendicular to the firstdirection, and wherein, in a state in which the hinge is not bent, thevariable width is longer than in a state in which the hinge is bent at aspecific angle.
 4. The portable electronic device of claim 3, whereinthe first structure includes: a first unit provided to be movable in aspecific direction from the second housing or toward the second housingin reference to provision of the variable width.
 5. The portableelectronic device of claim 4, wherein the first unit is slid to anopening formed in the second housing.
 6. A portable electronic devicecomprising: a first housing including a first surface and a secondsurface that is opposite to the first surface; a second housingincluding a third surface and a fourth surface that is opposite to thethird surface; and a hinge connecting the first housing and the secondhousing and provided such that the fourth surface is rotated in adirection that faces the first surface, wherein the hinge includes: ahinge shaft disposed at a periphery of one side of the first housing,and a sliding device including a portion that is configured to: slide toan inside or an outside of the second housing to be introduced, or slidefrom the inside or the outside of the second housing in a specificdirection to be extracted in correspondence to a hinge operation of thesecond housing; and a multi-bar disposed between the first surface andthe fourth surface and including a plurality of multi-bar units to bespread or bent in correspondence to a hinge operation of the secondhousing.
 7. The portable electronic device of claim 6, wherein athickness of the first housing and a thickness of the second housing aresubstantially the same or similar.
 8. The portable electronic device ofclaim 6, wherein a width of the first housing and a width of the secondhousing are substantially the same or similar.
 9. The portableelectronic device of claim 6, wherein a width of the first housing or awidth of the second housing is larger than a width of the second housingor a width of the first housing by a specific size.
 10. The portableelectronic device of claim 9, further comprising: an auxiliary display,wherein the auxiliary display is configured to be: disposed at a portionof the fourth surface of the second housing, and exposed to the outsidewhile the first housing and the second housing is folded at a specificangle.
 11. The portable electronic device of claim 6, wherein themulti-bar includes: a plurality of columns disposed in a direction ofthe hinge shaft.
 12. The portable electronic device of claim 11, whereineach of the plurality of columns includes: a bottom part formed flat,and a stepped part disposed at an upper end and a lower end of thebottom part, and wherein the stepped part is configured to be stepped tobe higher than the bottom part.
 13. The portable electronic device ofclaim 12, wherein the bottom parts of the plurality of columns form flatsurfaces by closely contacting the surfaces of adjacent bottom partswhile the first surface of the first housing and the third surface ofthe second housing are disposed in a same direction.
 14. The portableelectronic device of claim 12, wherein the bottom parts of the pluralityof columns form curved portions through by closely contacting thesurfaces of adjacent bottom parts while the second surface of the firsthousing and the fourth surface of the second housing are disposed in asame direction.
 15. The portable electronic device of claim 12, whereinthe stepped parts of the plurality of columns form flat surfaces byclosely contacting the surfaces of adjacent stepped parts while thefirst surface of the first housing and the third surface of the secondhousing are disposed in a same direction.
 16. The portable electronicdevice of claim 12, wherein the stepped parts of the plurality ofcolumns form curved portions by forming an aperture from the adjacentstepped parts while the second surface of the first housing and thefourth surface of the second housing face each other.
 17. The portableelectronic device of claim 12, wherein at least some of the plurality ofcolumns form curved portions by contacting the adjacent columns whileforming a specific angle within a range of an acute angle formed by thesecond surface of the first housing and the fourth surface of the secondhousing, and wherein the remaining columns form flat surfaces whilecontacting the adjacent column parts.
 18. The portable electronic deviceof claim 17, wherein the stepped parts of the columns forming the curvedportions are formed while apertures of the stepped portions of thecontacting columns are formed, and wherein the stepped parts of thecolumns forming the flat surfaces are configured to closely contactsurfaces of the stepped parts of the contacting column parts.
 19. Theportable electronic device of claim 12, wherein the column furtherincludes a plurality of bosses extending downwards from peripheries ofthe stepped parts, widths of the plurality of bosses gradually decreasesas they extend from the upper side to the lower side, and wherein atleast some of the plurality of bosses disposed in the plurality ofcolumns are disposed to contact surfaces of the side walls of theadjacent bosses while being bent in a range of an acute angle formed bythe first housing and the second housing.
 20. The portable electronicdevice of claim 6, wherein the hinge includes: a plate fixed to thefirst housing; a support cover fixed to the second housing; and a pairof magnet members fixed to the plate and the support cover,respectively, and wherein the magnet members are magnetically coupled toeach other while the first surface of the first housing and the fourthsurface of the second housing are configured in a same direction. 21.The portable electronic device of claim 6, wherein the multi-barincludes a plurality of multi-bar units, wherein, when the first housingand the second housing are substantially level with one another, gapsare formed between adjacent ones of the plurality of multi-bar units,and wherein, when at least one of the first housing or the secondhousing is rotated around the hinge, a size of the gap between at leasttwo adjacent ones of the plurality of multi-bar units is changed. 22.The portable electronic device of claim 6, wherein the multi-barincludes a plurality of multi-bar units that is resilientlycompressible, and wherein, when at least one of the first housing or thesecond housing is rotated around the hinge, at least two adjacent onesof the plurality of multi-bar units are compressed against one another.